Despite not winning the “People’s Choice Award,” HASSELL and Herzog de Meuron have, with a unanimous vote, won the competition to design the Flinders Street Station in Victoria, Australia.

As the Guardian reports, Victoria’s premier, Denis Napthine, noted that the proposal displayed a ”beautiful and compelling integration of aspects of the original station design [...] The design was judged to offer the best experience for rail travellers with a layout that was spacious, comfortable and easy to get around” (more images and info on the proposal here).

UPDATE: Public voting is now closed. Feel free to review the concepts and share your thoughts in the comment section below.

The Victorian Coalition Government’s design competition to re-imagine Melbourne’s beloved Flinders Street Station has entered its final phase as the public submits their last minute votes for the “People’s Choice Award” today, August 5. Though each proposal is dramatically different, ranging from Zaha Hadid Architects’ carefully calculated, sinuous curves to Herzog & de Meuron’s extrusion of vaulted canopies, all promise to elevate the station’s status to the 21st century whilst respecting its historic context.

Flinders Street Station and Flinders Street; Courtesy of the Victorian Coalition Government

The Victorian Coalition Government’s design competition to re-imagine Flinders Street Station in Melbourne has entered its final phase with the six shortlisted competitors submitting their final designs. Selected from 117 entries, the shortlist includes the following Australian and international firms:

The ongoing competition for the redevelopment of the landmark Flinders Street Station in Melbourne, Australiahas begun to raise some serious questions about the role of the public in architecture. The international competition, which narrowed down a total of 117 applicants to only 6 finalists, is due for completion in mid-2013. Each proposal will be put on display and the public will be invited to vote on their favorite design; what is raising eyebrows, however, is that the result of this public vote will be kept from the jury, who has the final say. The jury will not know what the public likes or dislikes when they place their own votes, and the public preference will only be revealed at the very end along with the jury’s decision.

What potential act could deserve such a warning? Attending an exhibit of the rejected design entries.

On November 22nd, Fitzroy-based architecture firm Edwards Moore organized the “Long-Listers” exhibit to build on the public excitement for the competition, using the momentum to generate more conversation and debate about the project. As architect and organiser Juliet Moore put it: ”We wanted peer collaboration . . . too often these things are done behind closed doors. By the time the designs are revealed [a year later] the moment has passed.”